Infants on the move: 3D spatial cameras as a tool for designing classrooms and curriculum

• In Event: Cognitivism and Classrooms in the Learning Sciences

Abstract

This study posits that learning about infants’ movements and interactions within their classroom spaces can provide teachers with insight into very young children’s learning processes. Through a mixed-method study design that utilized 3D AI spatial mapping and classroom observations, we tracked where/how young children moved within the classroom space, with which individuals and materials they interacted, their routes through space, and the duration of their interactions within particular locations. Through teacher focus groups, teachers engaged with the map and observational data, using this to make decisions about infant/toddler curriculum and classroom environmental design. Findings suggest that 3D AI spatial mapping is a useful tool to complement teachers’ observations and understanding of child development in developing children’s learning environments.

Authors

• Amanda Reeves Fellner, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Mako Miura, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Tran Templeton, Teachers College, Columbia University